After the blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics and Isaiah Thomas to the Cleveland Cavaliers, many still labeled the Cavs as the team to beat in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
However, advanced analytics tell a different story.
ESPN on Wednesday released its preseason NBA Basketball Power Index (BPI), which uses statistical analysis to predict a given team’s performance, relative to average teams. The BPI unsurprisingly has the Golden State Warriors as the team to beat in the Western Conference. But the team it predicts to come out of the East to face Golden State in the NBA Finals might surprise some.
👀 (More preseason BPI notes) pic.twitter.com/RcpUYKcV6U
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) September 20, 2017
Well, that has to make Green Teamers happy.
Here are the complete preseason BPI rankings:
🚨Preseason BPI rankings are out🚨 pic.twitter.com/G7IClD84AT
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 20, 2017
Of course, basketball isn’t played by calculators. Still, the BPI, which simulates the NBA season 10,000 times every day, has proven reliable in the past.
With a roster drastically different than it was last year, the Celtics might take time to build something that can’t be measured: chemistry.
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
